Manufacture of metal lathing.



W. KLOGKE.

MANUFAGTURE 0F METAL LATHNG. ArLIoATIoN FILED MAY 27, 19084 928,61 O.l f Patented July 2o, 1909.

SBHEETS-BHBET 1. FIG. l.

IIIIIII v H INVENTOR 1 WITNESSES: M

M MMI/'71052' Patented July 20, 1909.

43 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR i W. KLOCKE. MANUFAGTURB 0F METAL LATHING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1908.

Patented July 20, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR f Md@ WITNESSES:

'UNITE-zii sTArss PATENT ornioii.

l WILLIAM KLOCKE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISS COMPANY, OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A rCORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MANQFACIURE ,QF METAL LATHING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application tiled may 27, 1908. Serial No. 435,272.

Patented July 20, 1909.

To all whom 'it fmay concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KLocKn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented cere tain new and useful Improvements in Appai'atus for the Manufacture of Metal Lathing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide an iniproved apparatus for the manufacture of metal lathing, and especially latliing of the type known as expanded metal, made by punching and stretching a sheet to forni successive sinuous lines staggered relatively to each other, so that the sheet is finally convverted iiito a series of approximately hexagonal meshes in planes perpendicular to the plane of the sheet. Metal latliing cut and stretched according to other systems may also be produced by the use of this invention.

I propose to effect the cutting and the stretching or forming of the meshes in successive operations, using separate tools each of which is adapted to perform its function better and to be more' dui'able than Where a single punch is used to effect both the 'cut-v ting and the stretching. I propose also t`o positively retain a line of finished meshes in sha e while formin the following line of nies es, Vso as to avoi the distortion of the previously finished line which would otherwise occur. Preferably a compound die is used, having a cutter, a stretcher, and a retainer, ari-an ed in such positions as to act simultaneous y upon successive lines of the sheet to cut stretch and hold in shape the work at each operation of the machine.

Other points of improvement are referred to in detail hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments ofthe invention.

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a faceI view and a plan of a sheet partly converted into expanded metal. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views illustrating successive steps of the process. Figs. 5 and Gare a vertical section and a. face elevation respectively of a suitable form of apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the sheet of "metal which is to be converted into expanded metal lathing is indicated at A. It

' is slitted and bent down as described to form lilies B B B2 of the siiiuous character indicated. The movement commences at the forward edge. After the formation of each sinuous line' the sheet is fed a step forward and staggered alternately to the right and to the left, so that the vsuccessive sinuous lines vare staggered relatively to each other and forni the hexagonal meshes shown# Since the stretching of the metal is in a direction at. right-angles to the plane of the original sheet, the finished work hangs downwardly in tlie manner indicated in Fig. 5. The forward edge of the sheet is advanced into the machine and the'trst line of slits C formed b v a cutting tool which at the saine time very slightly stretches the metal lying in advance of the slitC, preferably just enough ,to produce a slit C of the full length with certainty. In the following operation the slightly stretched portion D is further stretched in the forni shown at D (Fig. l)

- W-liile a new line of slightly bent portions D is formed, and a new line of slits C. In the next operation the parts D are again fully stretched to the shape D', being offset b v a staggered feed mechanism of any known or suitable type. In stretching the slightly bent portion D to forni the sharply or deeply bent ortion D', there is a tendency to distort t e previous finished line. Consequently I provide for retaining the finished line 1) in shape, between a pair of correspondingly shaped dies, simultaneously with the further stretching of the part D. By this division of the work the movement of the compound tool or group of tools may be comparatively slight, a very rapid o eration can be secured,

and a perfect form or the finished product is insured. ,A

In the machine shown a block E is fastened to the cross-head of the a paratus, or is otherwise reciprocated rapi lyv up and down. A stationary block F carries a table G which supports the sheet A. A holder H is fastened to a bracket J depending from ,the block E b means of a in K Working in a slot L in t e holder, and is pressed down by a spiral spring M located in a recess in the block E. This holder, or a number of such holders arranged alon the line of work, lengages the plate A an holds it down upon the fixed cutter N before the movable tools strike the work.

The movable dies include a series of cutting dies O, forming or stretching dies l),

and retaining dies Q, which are fastened adjacent to each other in the manner shown by means of bolts R passing through a depending ange of the blckll. In line with these are the xed dies S, T and U fastened by a bolt V to an upward extension of the lower block F. The shapes of the several lies are indicated inthe face elevations of Fig. 6.

No claim is made herein to the method, the same being claimed in my divisional application No. 475,549, led February 2, 1909.

That I claim is yl. A machine of the class described including in combination a cutter and a separate intermittently operating stretcher, said cutter and stretcher being arranged to operate on the metal simultaneously at successive points.

2. A machine of the class described including in combination, a reciprocating cutter, a separate stretcher adjacent to and reciprocating with said cutter,` said cutter and said stretcher acting in a direction transverse to the plane of the sheet, and operating on the sheet simultaneously at successive points. .A

3. A machine' of the class described including in combination means for forming a line of meshes and means for retaining a line of finished meshes in shape while forming the following line, so as to avoid de-l forming t-he linished line by the forming of the following line.

4. A machine of the class described i11- cluding in combination a cutter, a stretcher, and a retainer for retaining the stretched metal in shape, said retainer being arranged to operate upon the line of meshes immediately in advance of the stretcher, so as to avoid deforlning said advance line by the stretching of the following line.

5. A machine of the class described including in combination, a reciprocating cutter, a separate stretcher adjacent to and reciprocating with said cutter, and a separate retainer adjacent to and reciprocating with said stretcher, said cutter, stretcher and retainer acting' in a direction transverse to the plane of the sheet and operating simultaneously at successive points, said retainer retaining a line of finished meshes in shape so as to avoid the deforming of it by the stretching of the followin line.

V6. A machine of the c ass described including in combination a cutter O, a stretcher P, and a reciprocating block E upon which said cutter and stretcher are fastened in juxtaposition.

7. A machine ofthe class described including in combination a retainer consisting of a pair of dies Q and U adapted to clamp between them the finished line of the meshes, and means actuated simultaneously with said retainer for forming the next line of meshes.

8. A machine of the class described including in combination a cutting die O, a forming or stretching die P, and a retaining die Q reciprocating together, and fixed dies S, T and U in position to coact with said dies O, P and Q.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KLOCKE.

Witnesses DoMINGo A. UsINA, Timononn T. SNELL. 

